Dear Dr. Forsythe: I’ve recently noticed a canine in the vineyard behind our house that is light grey/silver colored with pointy ears and very pointy nose. It was dog-like but seemed aggressive and I heard howling before we saw it. After it roamed around a while it disappeared quickly through a hole in the fence up into the mountainside when I tried to get a closer look. We’ve heard howling early in the morning and late at night, and I’m a little concerned about my own dog, Miggs. Is it possible this was a coyote? Also is there anything I should do for my pet’s safety or anyplace I could call for more information? – Migg’s Dad
Dear Migg’s Dad: The animal you are describing sounds very much like it could be a wild coyote. They are about the size of medium- to large-sized dog with brownish to grey or silver long fur and pointy ears. There are some people who fancy breeding domestic dog breeds such as the Siberian husky or Alaskan malamute with various wolf species such as the arctic wolf or the timber wolf to create hybrids that are then sold as “pets.” It is possible, but unlikely, that you saw one of those roaming freely in the vineyard behind your house. Most people who choose to keep a wolf/dog hybrid are very concsciencous about keeping them confined and fenced because of the potential risks, should they escape. Coyote sightings are frequent in Sonoma, and since these animals can pose a predatory danger to domestic cats and small dogs –as well as livestock – it may be a good idea for you to call Sonoma County Wildlife rescue at 526.9453 for more information. Perhaps they can put up warning signs about the coyote sightings for pet owners to keep their dogs leashed. Coyotes are beautiful animals, but we must never underestimate the potential harm they could inflict on our house pets. Thanks for your question. – Dr. F.
Dear Dr. Forsythe: I read your advice about “Irving” the bird that was swearing and foul-mouthed. It seemed like you took the easy way out. Why can’t you teach a bird not to swear? I always thought that you could teach birds anything, since they are really smart. I think your advice to ship the bird to the uncle was lame. Maybe you aren’t taking enough time to answer the questions? If you’re such a great vet, why can’t you answer this question better than that? – Thinks your answer was bird-brained
Dear Bird Brained: Well that was a cold splash of water to the face. But I’m always willing to take a cold splash of water in the face when it’s warranted, so I checked with a specialist on the subject. Although I do see birds at my practice for toenail trims, beak trims and feather trims, I do not consider myself a bird specialist.
I checked with my colleague Dave Rupiper DVM who sees a lot of birds, and he says that African Grey parrots are fairly easy to retrain. They will let go of the old habits and absorb new ones in six to eight weeks if you just don’t continue to reinforce the old habits. So if Irving’s new owners don’t continue to expose him to the “F” bomb and use normal language around him, this behavior should cease in a couple of months. However this will still require two months of exposure to his outbursts as things improve – so the kids may continue to be exposed to his foul beak. Another recommendation would be to make a CD of words to train the pet to say such as “pretty bird” and play this over and over, hour by hour. Irving could replace the old vocabulary with this new more useful, more accurate one. I stand corrected – my previous answer was lame. I hope this one is more helpful!
By the way, several years ago when I lived in Napa I had a Philippine Blue Naped Parrot named Mr. Quigley. On the day I rescued him, I had to draw blood from him to test him for chlamydia. I drew the blood from his ulnar vein under his wing. Although the needle was very tiny and I got the blood on the first try, Mr. Quigley never, ever forgave me for drawing blood from him. That bird hated me. Two years later when we sold our house, each time the realtor’s caravan would come through on Thursdays to view our open house, he would do the same dastardly deed: he’d wait for the Chanel-clad realtors to walk by his cage, then lift up his bright blue tail feathers and send a huge trajectile poop hurling through the air onto one of them. Sometimes he could fling his droppings six feet across the living room. You never saw realtors run faster out of a designer home. Try teaching THAT bird a new trick. Thanks for writing in and keeping me earnest. – Dr. F
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